Thursday, November 26, 2009

thanks


thanksgiving and new years are two holidays that can help you remember the best parts about your life. if you have great friends, you're thankful for them or you make a resolution to do better at keeping in touch. this year hasn't been the easiest really for anyone but maybe there's never been a better chance to take some time to be actively thankful for what we have.

i am thankful for my friends. they are funny, insightful, smart, and loyal. they are also scattered, opinionated, and exactly what i need.

i am thankful for my family. they are noisy, overwhelming, and numerous. they love me even when i'm a pain.

i am thankful for my life. it has been sometimes unpredictable and sometimes calm. it has been filled with great people, places, and food. it will be an adventure forever.

i am thankful for things i don't know yet. they will keep things interesting.

i am thankful for yoga, potatoes, the fluffy orange cat that begs for scraps on my porch (he is not homeless, he is just a beggar), on time city buses, and really great coffee. these things make my days perfect in such unexpected ways.


the picture is from park seed memories.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

things that make me laugh


friends are the best.

the other day i was feeling ok, but not amazing. in an (unintentional) effort to make my day more stupendous my friend told me a story about his childhood.

apparently he was really intrigued by the cacti in his dentist's office. he knew not to touch them because they were prickly... but one looked wooly and soft.

see where this is going yet?

he was convinced the wooly cactus would be soft and nice to touch. so he licked it.

the things i love about this story are: how hilarious little boys are, imagining what his parents must have thought, imagining the dentist retelling this story for years, the fact that this man is my friend and i could still see him doing something like this.

amazing.

the end.


ps- i know you're laughing now too.

this photo is from flickr.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

fall fall fall


the past few days have been so crispy!
new england, or maybe just boston has had a handful of gorgeous late summery days and they've brightened my whole month up. where is the gray, soggy november i was expecting? not up here, thats for sure.

this summer was a little rough weather-wise but the fall is making up for it big time. i've been adventuring out on walks wearing tshirts, thinking about home made ice cream (in november!), and enjoying as much sunshine as i possibly can. i wasn't expecting so much from this month but so far i have gotten a fabulous wedding gift for a good friend whose wedding i am thrilled to be going to, had the most amazing beet salad on the planet (for real), done way way way better on a midterm than i deserved to or thought i would, and reconnected with a friend who i'd been feeling bad about lately. what a month. so good.

still on the list for the next couple weeks: mango cardamom jam (yes or eww?), learning how to be creative with turnips, working my way up to 1.25 miles in a swim, and really hammering out a more concrete idea for my graduate thesis.

more suggestions welcome!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

swimming

i've been swimming lately. my friend kate comes with me. i used to swim all the time. it used to be one of my favorite things because in the pool i'm not clumsy or prone to tripping over my own feet. in the pool i can feel the power of my stroke and the momentum of my movements. when i first went back to the pool i was worried that it wouldn't feel natural, or that the swimmer in my mind wouldn't match up with what i was actually able to do.
the pool welcomed me back. a mile is not an insurmountable swim. i am not sore or out of commission the next day. i may not be the athlete i once (thought) i was, but i am still a swimmer.

its great.

this weekend i'll be helping a friend move. she is awesome and i'm really excited to get to spend some time with her. we will be making delicious fall treats and remembering all of our halloweens trick-or-treating together. i can't wait.

this photo is from flickr.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

vacation


hello everyone. i have a confession.

i am a terrible blog writer. i am easily distracted, and i forget about you for weeks at a time.

i'm sorry.

this week i'm on vacation. i plan on eating delicious end-of-summer farmstand produce, taking lovely photo walks, and laying on the beach enjoying the last hot days of summer.
i'm excited to see assorted friends who will be guest starring in my vacation and also watching how they are with each other.
do you ever feel that way when friends from different parts of your life meet?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

it will be magical, i can tell already


you will never guess what has finally happened.

probably forever ago i bought two tiny little tomato plants, mainly because i was craving a tomato salad. that was months ago. tonight i went outside and there were baby tomatoes growing on the plants. officially i am a tomato grower. man, can life get any better than this?

i dont have any pictures of the little guys yet for proof, but i am so happy to be slightly less of a terrible plant-grower than i thought i would be. it seems a little funny to already be thinking of (plotting?) the ways i will eat them. i seriously cannot wait.

Monday, July 27, 2009

weekends are the nicest ever


i have had some of the best weekends ever this month. despite the fact that summer session finals and looming, and i'm still looking for a room mate for september, and a grab bag of other things that should have left me stressed and grumpy the weekends of july have been so good. better than good.

so far this month i've:
seen amazing friends
visited 2 states other than the one i live in
seen great live music (for free!)
had the best guacamole ever
hunted for delicious veggies at farmers markets
made watermelon sorbet
explored my city
gone for great conversation walks with friends that i could talk to for days
mailed 2 cards that i've had on my to do list for ages

i am so lucky.


my friend lauren took the photo. my favorite part is that she took it while i was mid-hysterical laugh. friends are the best.
oh, hello friend is hosting a fantastic gift exchange/fun mail adventure this summer and i'm so so so excited to participate. i have loved getting mail forever and love sending it just as much. my favorite sent mail lately have been cards for good friends who will appreciate the humor of them. i cant wait to go on treasure hunts to fill my lovely package gifts, and will be on the edge of my seat to receive my own treats.

Friday, June 19, 2009

friends and (great) food


things have been crazy.... i've been a terrible writer, worse than usual. finals, new classes, maybe a new job.... there is a lot of crazy floating around my life these days, but secretly i kind of love it. at the very least it is a challenge.

i went out to dinner with my friend keith last night. i don't think i've seen him (or you) in ages. we went out to my very favorite Bangladeshi restaurant near davis square and it is impossible to be anything other than content and stuffed with food when you're there. it is the greatest.

for any of you in the new england-y area you will know that the weather lately has been not of the perfect, sunny, delightful variety. i am secretly wishing for hot summer weather more like the picture. despite this it was great to walk out to a homey restaurant with a good friend. keith was only in town for barely any time. he's extremely cool and busy, but i think its awesome when people go out of their way to maintain friendships and hang out even for sort of silly short periods of time. thanks keith!

Friday, May 1, 2009

advice and other things


everyone has advice to give if you ask for it. i've recently given and been given a lot advice. during these conversations a few little bits came up that i wish everyone would think about once in a while. this will be my first (of many) lists.
1. do a good job.
2. don't worry, one day all of this will be last year.
3. remind yourself of what you do really well, especially when no one else is.
its only 3 things but it seems like no matter how you're feeling there's something in this list that could maybe lead to some really great thoughts.

i hope all of you have lovely weekend plans which may or may not include brunch, friends, and lazy mornings.


the photo is from aliciabock's etsy shop. her photos are so dreamy they seemed just right for a rainy friday.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

people who i imagine would totally get me


readers,
you should stop by jasmine's blog an experiment in poverty today. she and her boyfriend seem totally happy and sweet and you can tell from her writing that she makes an effort to be happy and to share that feeling. i love when people are intentionally positive and her good habits post is such an example of a simple way to make someone you care about feel better.
during my year as an americorps volunteer my team and i discovered that we'd gotten really good at congratulating ourselves on our accomplishments and recognizing what each of us uniquely contributed to the group. it made stressful projects so much better. would any of you think about trying to do this in your office? let me know what sort of reaction you get.
i'd love to hear about it.

i think its probably easier to think that nice, friendly, wonderful people are few and far between but maybe its just that we've gotten used to keeping all the niceness inside. so let it out.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

i guess growing up can still be fun


so, a couple weeks ago my friend lauren told me she got into a graduate program. i am so proud of her. we've been friends since elementary school and she makes me laugh harder than anyone else i've ever met. she is the kind of person that just makes everyone around her sparkle. i wish i could be more like her in that way.
she's going to become a counselor. i love it when people want to be something because it really interests them rather than because of the material benefits.

its just the beginning....


about me:
i moved to boston about 3 years ago after a great adventure, and i was convinced that the only way to live was on the edge of my seat. i've learned a lot in these last years about myself and probably a lot of things. mainly i've realized i see little things every day that i wish got a little more attention, or that i just want to share...
because i think that most of the time its the smallest things that make your day and wonder if, especially now, people don't need to spend a little more time noticing them.

i spend my time at a job that pays the bills, but i build amazing dreams in my imagination constantly. i'm convinced that someday i will be able to make them come true.

i love my friends more than anything and i would do anything for them (literally anything). i also love avocados, cupcakes (but not icing), and plants even though i have a black thumb.

so, welcome to my blog. i never really thought i'd start one of these things but i think i'm glad that i did.